Page 12 - Griffin Gazette Issue 3 - 2021

PHOSPHATE

AND

PHOSPHITE

Is it with an “A” or an “I”?

By Karen Stever, GGSPro Technical Specialist
Despite the similar names and the fact that both contain

the element phosphorus, the salts known as Phosphate
and Phosphite have very different effects on plants.
Phosphate, with the “A”, is the nutrient, derived from
P2O5, the middle number in the N-P-K on fertilizer
labels. Phosphate is the source of the phosphorus that
pushes plants to new heights. Whereas Phosphite, with
an ‘I’, is something totally different.